Archives for Culture

Creating the Right Climate for Team Conflict

When team members are asked if they think that conflict is inevitable in team settings, they almost always answer – yes. When they are asked whether their team has a process in place for managing this inevitable conflict, they usually answer – no. As a result they often default to gut level instincts for managing conflict and almost always wind up with poor outcomes. What’s a team to do? In order to manage conflict effectively, team members need to be able to have open and honest discussion about their issues.  Creating an environment or climate where people are able to… Continue Reading Creating the Right Climate for Team Conflict
Read More

Categories: Communication and Behavior, Culture, Research, and Uncategorized.

Generational Conflict

A couple of recent items caught our attention about generational conflict. Deanna Hartley addressed the subject in an article in the November issue of Talent Management entitled “How to Resolve Generational Conflicts in the Workplace.” In her article Ms. Hartley emphasized the misunderstandings that emerge when people from different generations make assumptions about one another and when they expect people from other generations to necessarily share their own values. Dr. Rick Voyles presented on the subject at the Southeastern Summit on Conflict Resolution in Atlanta in September. In his talk Rick contrasted the values of people in the Boomer and Gen X generations. He showed how… Continue Reading Generational Conflict
Read More

Categories: Communication and Behavior, Culture, and Uncategorized.

Leadership, Conflict, and Authenticity

As the 2012 election gets closer, many political commentators have identified “authenticity” as a critical attribute for potential candidates. When it comes to leadership and conflict, what is “authenticity,” and why is it so important? The dictionary describes “authenticity” as “genuine” or “real.” In other words, it means being true to who you really are, knowing your values, and living them out consistently. In a world filled with new media and widespread access to data, people are constantly being bombarded with all kinds of messages. It’s no wonder everyone craves knowing what is really true and trustworthy about a person.… Continue Reading Leadership, Conflict, and Authenticity
Read More

Categories: Communication and Behavior, Culture, and Uncategorized.

Expressing Emotions – why, in the workplace, is it so hard to talk about feelings?

Emotions can be defined as a spontaneous rather than conscious feeling. They can be feelings of joy, sorrow, reverence, hate and love. Emotions are an unavoidable part of being human. When we recognize that someone else is preventing us from achieving our goals or preventing us from getting what we want, emotions often heat up and conflict becomes the inevitable result. Apparent threats or signs of disrespect may cause emotions to seethe. The intensity of the emotion signifies its importance to us. Therefore the more important the situation and the stronger we feel about it, the more likely the conflict… Continue Reading Expressing Emotions – why, in the workplace, is it so hard to talk about feelings?
Read More

Categories: Communication and Behavior, Culture, Managing Emotions, and Uncategorized.